Turbine pedestal arrangement



Dec. 26, 1950 o. N. BRYANT 2,535,037

TURBINE PEDESTAL ARRANGEMENT Filed May 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG L WITNESSES: INVENTOR (3.1+ QZRO N. BRYANT I BY [l A] I 1 P11 Q 1% ,W

L m 1 ATTORNEY Dec. 26, 1950 o. N. BRYANT TURBINE PEDESTAL ARRANGEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 2, 1947 WITNESSES: 6H. M103? N ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 26, 1950 'E'UFJEHNE PEDESTAL ARRANGEMENT @zrc N. Bryant, Prospect Park, Pa., assignor t0 Westinghouse Electric C0rp0ration,;East Pittsburgh, Pa a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 2, 1947, Serial N 0. 745,421

2. Claims. ((31. 253-39) The invention relates to elastic-flu d turbines and it has for an object to provide an improved pedestal and bearing construction'for the highpressure end of such apparatus.

It is common turbine practice to have a lowpressure end of the cylinder attached to the foundation or bed plate, to provide a pedestal on the high-pressure end of the cylinder and keyed to the foundation for ax'al movement relative to the latter, to have the rotor carried by a low-pressure end hearing at thelow-pressure end of the cylinder and by a high-pressure end bearing connected to the pedestal and arranged to carry radial and thrust loads imposed thereon by the rotor and to have the high-pressure end of the cylinder supported on and connected to the pedestal by means providing for movement of the cylinder and the pedestal axially together while accommodating for radial expansion of the cylnder with the cylinder axis held vertically and horizontally.

A further object of the invention is to provide said arrangement of apparatus wherein the pedestal includes a platform carrying the high-pressure end bearing, supporting the high-pressure end of'the cylinder, and connected to the latter, and wherein the pedestal also includes a plurality of vertical plates which hold the cylinder axis vertically and horizontally and which are elastically. deformable axially to accommodate f or axial expansion of the rotor and cylinder, thereby making it possible to attach the lower end of the pedestal to the foundation without the use of key means providing for axial movement of the pedestal as a whole.

These and other objects are effected by the invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a turbine having the improved pedestal applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, and showing the pedestal structure in greater detail;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken along the line IIIIII of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a modified arrangement of column structures for supporting the high-pressure end of the turbine cylinder.

In the drawings, there is shown a foundation or bed plate It carrying the turbine cylinder H and a -pedestal construction, at 12, The cylinder encloses a rotor I l carried by bearings .15. and

[6, the bearing I 5 being supported by the low-.- pressure end of the cylinder andthe bearing .16 home carried by the pedestal construction, at .12.

The bearing i6 is connected to the pedestal construction, at i2,-so that-itscenteris'held axially, vertically and horizontally relative to the pedestal and so that it may move angularlyabout such center to maintain its alignment relative-to the rotor.

The pedestal, at 52, includes ahorizontal platform l8 supported by the vertcal plates l9, which have their lower ends or edges connected-to and carried by the foundation structure it, theplates extending in normal transverse relation with re-.v spect to the rotor axis so as to be elastically deformable axially while having stiiiness which is. efiective to hold the rotor axis bothvertically and horizontally.

As shown, the bearing It is of thecombined radial and thrust type, it including a housinglil having mounted therein the radial or sleeve'bean ing bushing 2i cooperating with the rotor journal 22. ihe journal has spaced collars .23 between which the bushing 2| is located, the thrust bearing elements 24 and 25 being disposed between the respective collars and ends of the bushing.

With this combined arrangement of radial and thrust bearing, it is essential that the housing 2.0 be supported or carried in such manner that :it may tilt to accommodate for misalignment while being effective to hold the center of the bearing against displacement axially, vertically or hurl-.- zontally. W his the bearing housing may be sup ported from the platform by any suitable means serving these purposes, preferably, as disclosed and claimed in my application Serial N 0. 727,134, filed February 7, 1947and now Patent 2,524,693 dated October 3, 1950, as shown, the housing is carried by a transverse, flexible plate 2? and' 'by a conical arrangement of barsor spoke members 28, the plate 27 and the bars or spoke members 28 being connected to the housing so as to be disposed radially with respect .to the center 0 of the bearing. The lower edge of theplate 2! and the lower ends of the rods or bars 28 are connected in any suitable manner to the platform Hi. *It will be apparent, therefore, that plate 21 and the rods or bars 28 are elastically deformable in axial planes of the bearing and tangentially in relation to the bearing center, this arrangement or relation providing for angular movement of the-bearinghousing in any direction to maintain alignment of the bearing with therotor.

With a vertically-disposed and transversely extending plate, for example, the plate 2?, such 3 plate is elastically deformable not only to accommodate for angular movement of the bearing housing for maintenance of alignment but also, unless resisted, it would permit of movement of the housing axially, while its stiffness is effective to hold the rotor axis both vertically and horizontally. As the spokes or bars 28 are arranged as a conical group with each spoke or bar radiating from the common center 0, it w be apparent that, while each rod or bar is elastically deform- 1 able to permit of movement of the bearing housing in axial planes and in directions which are tangential with respect to the center, nevertheless, each rod or bar has stiffness which is effective both axially and radially, the axial component being effective to prevent axial movement of the thrust bearing housing relative to the platform and therefore of the bearing center and the radial component cooperating with the plate 2'! to hold the bearing housing vertically and horizontally while permitting of angular movement thereof for alignment purposes.

The high-pressure end of the turbine cylinder is provided with extensions or pads 13! at each side, the extensions or pads bearing on the upper ends of column structures 32a in Figures 1, 2, and 3 and 32b in Figure t. The column structures 32a are of cruciform section so as to be stiff laterally in all directions and the lower ends thereof are connected, as by welding, to the upper side of the platforr. E2. The upper ends of the column structures are connected to the cylinder pads by means which accommodates for sliding movement of the pads on the column structures sufficient to accommodate for expansion of the cylinder so as to accommodate for expansion, particularly radial expansion horizontally of the cylinder.

The high-pressure end of the turbine cylinder is connected to the pedestal structure, at 12, by means of a thrust and tie connection, at 34, the latter preferably being comprised by a horizontal plate element connected, at 36, to the turbine cylinder and, at 37, to the adjacent edge of the platform [8.

From the construction so far described, it will be apparent that the pedestal structure, at [2, is capable of moving with the turbine cylinder axially, such axial movement relative to the foundation being permitted by the supporting plates l9, which, as they extend normally in transverse relation to the rotor axis, are elastically deformable axially while their stiffness is effective to hold the platform both horizontally and vertically with respect to the foundation and they, therefore, function to hold the bearing both vertically and horizontally. As the bearing housing is carried by members which are elastically deformable in axial planes and in directions which are tangential with respect to the center of the hearing, it will be apparent that the bearing center will be held axially, vertically and horizontally with respect to the platform while the bearing housing is permitted to tilt about the bearing center in any direction to avoid misalignment. As the thrust and tie connection plate 35 is disposed horizontally, it will be apparent that it is elastically deformable vertically to accommodate for radial expansion of the cylinder vertically while its stiffness is effective both axially and transversely, the transverse stiffness serving to hold the cylinder axis horizontally. The horizontal plate 35 and the supporting column structures 32a. for the cylinder pads therefore cooperate to accommodate for radial expansion of ill.)

the cylinder both vertically and horizontally while they are effective to hold the cylinder axis both vertically and horizontally. It is to be understood that the inclined spoke members 28 are merely one example of means for anchoring the thrust bearing to the platform to prevent relative axial movement of the spindle and the cylinder at the high pressure end of the turbine. Any other suitable means connecting the thrust bearing to the platform for this purpose with provision for the accommodation of angular movement of the bearing sleeve to maintain the latter alined with the rotor journal may be used. As the bearing housing is also held both vertically and horizontally, it will be apparent that the pedestal structure. at l2 and the features associated therewith are responsible for holding both the cylinder and the rotor vertically and horizontally.

In Figure 4, instead of the cylinder pads 3lb having clearance with respect to hold-down bolts, as is the case with the pads 3| with respect to the hold-down bolts 33 in Figures 1, 2 and 3, in Figure 4, the pads 31b are fastened in fixed relation to the upper ends of the column structure 32b, the lower ends of the latter being attached to the platform [8. Each column structure 32b is shown as being comprised by a pair of verticallydisposed plates 39 which extend in parallel relation to the rotor axis. Therefore, while the plates 39 are stiff so as to connect the high-pressure end of the cylinder and the pedestal structure for axial movement together, nevertheless, they are elastically deformable radially to accommodate for radial expansion of the cylinder horizontally.

While the invention has been shown in several forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

ii "hat LS claimed ;s:

1. In a turbine, wherein a foundation carries a cylinder enclosing a rotor, a pedestal structure carried by the foundation adjacent to the high pressure end of the cylinder; said pedestal structure including a horizontal platform; bearing means carrying radial and thrust loads imposed thereon by the rotor; means for connecting the bearing means to the platform so that the center of the bearing means is held against vertical, hor zontal and axial movements with respect to the platform while it is movable angularly in all directions with respect to said center to maintain alignment of the bearing with the rotor; means for supporting the weight of the high-pressure end of the cylinder on the platform and accommodating for radial expansion of the cylinder horizontally; and a plate connected to the highpressure end of the cylinder and to the platform; said plate being horizontal so as to be elastically deformable vertically to accommodate for vertical expansion of the cylinder and so as to be stiff horizontally to hold the cylinder axis horizontally with respect to the platform; said pedestal structure also including vertical plates for supporting the platform from the foundation and which plates extend normally with respect to the rotor axis so as to be elastically deformable axially of the turbine to accommodate for axial expansion and contraction of the rotor and cylinder and to be stiff transversely of the rotor axis to hold the latter against transverse displacement vertically and horizontally.

2. In a turbine wherein a foundation carries a cylinder enclosing a rotor, a pedestal structure carried by the foundation adjacent to the highpressure end of the cylinder; said pedestal structure including a horizontal platform; a bearing carrying radial and thrust loads imposed thereon by the rotor; means for connecting the bearing to the platform so that the center of the hearing is held vertically and horizontally with respect to the platform while it is movable angularly in all directions with respect to said center to maintain alignment of the bearing with the rotor; vertical column structures carried by the platform and spaced outwardly from each side of the rotor axis; supporting pads unitary with the high-pressure end of the cylinder and bearing on and connected to the column structure; said column structures each including one or more plates extending vertically and parallel to the rotor axis so as to be elastically deformable horizontally; and a plate connected to the highpressure end of the cylinder; said plate being horizontal so as to be elastically deformable vertically to accommodate for vertical expansion of the cylinder and so as to be stifi horizontally to REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 20 1,491,423 Rice Apr, 22, 1924 1,527,635 Doran Feb. 24, 1925 1,678,968 Allen July 31, 1928 2,128,805 Doran Aug. 30, 1938 

